Bashful Brilliance
by Jaluna Rolik
Summary: It's time for the Twinleaf Festival and a new addition to the team! Ash wants to help his friend, Dawn's sister, show how she feels easier to Brendan, and vice versa with Dawn. Will their own emotions spring up? AshxDawn, BrendanxOC I don't own Pokemon !
1. Chapter 1

**Bashful Brilliance**

_**(Brendan x OC, Dawn x Ash)**_

_**Characters**_

_Dawn, Ash, Brock, **Hiruka**, Brendan_

The trio stopped at the Pokemon center in Sandgem town, a town just neighboring that of Twinleaf, where Dawn's home resided. They were a diverse group. There was Ash, the young Pokemon trainer from Pallet Town whom already had participated in three separate leagues; Brock, a Pokemon breeder from Pewter City who once ran the gym in that town while helping his family; Finally, there was Dawn, a young girl from Twinleaf town that had started her journey as a Pokemon Coordinator and whom was raised mostly be her mother after moving from Azalea Town in Johto from her father, brother and sister. She was excited, however, by something involving that. Her sister had promised to visit for the Twinleaf Festival, saying she wanted to bring her friend. They'd be staying at their mother's home together. "I can't wait," Dawn noted.

Little did Dawn know, however, that her friend Ash had already met Hiruka. They were childhood friends, in fact, from a trip she'd taken with their father once during a conference amongst many gym leaders. He'd taught her to climb a tree, and strangely enough that had started their friendship easily. Ash hadn't an idea that the two were related. He didn't even know Hiruka was coming yet!

As the trio exited the Pokemon center for a moment, Ash stopped short, seeing a girl covered with Starly and Bidoof. He could barely see the girl, however recognized her sea-green hair and immediately ran to help her, helping her get one starly off her head and covering her free hair with his hat. The Pokemon, seemingly calmed down, dispersed. He let out a sigh of relief. "That was a close one..."

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Ash?" She laughed slightly, simply smiling up at him due ot her height being slightly below his. "It's funny... It seems we're meeting now the way we did when we were small." The words managed to make him laugh. She smiled happily from hearing it.

"Ash!" A deeper voice yelled. Brock ran toward them, followed by Dawn. When the other girl was in sight, Dawn was in shock.

"H-Hiruka?"

"Sis!" Hiruka waved, happily looking to her sister. "Long time no see!"

"Uh... Hiruka, why did you just call her your sister?" Ash seemed baffled. Hiruka laughed at it.

"Because she is my sister. Well, adoptively speaking. She's the only one of us biologically related to dad."

"Wait... You mean... You already know Ash, Hiri?"

"We met when we were small. Actually, the same way as just five seconds ago. His saving me from being mobbed by a group of Pokemon that could smell me a mile away." She laughed. "I can't believe I managed to get my hat stolen while I was sleeping..."

"That's why you may want to try avoiding sleeping in trees as much as you do," Dawn noted. Hiruka laughed nervously now, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

"You're here for the Twinleaf Festival then, right, Hiruka?" Ash smiled happily to his friend, only to watch her nod. "That's awesome!"

"Well, I'm not only here for the festival. I'll be traveling in Sinnoh afterwards." She giggled a bit. "Brendan's not here yet, but he promised to be here in time for the festival so we could have a little fun before we start traveling again."

"Right- you told Mom you wanted to have a friend come with you. But why are you traveling? Do you have an errand in Sinnoh?"

"Oh, it's nothing like that, Dawn." She smiled. "I've been traveling for a while now. I met Brendan last year during an errand for Professor Elm. After we finished, I ended up following him around for a while and before you could know it, I was hooked on traveling with him. It's just really fun to watch him trying so hard!"

"Wait... So you're just traveling for fun?" Dawn was shocked. This was nothing like her sister! Not from what she recalled anyway. "What is he doing in Sinnoh then?"

"Brendan wants to take on the Sinnoh league. He asked me about it while we were taking a vacation over on the Sevii Islands on our last day there. I mentioned the Twinleaf Festival then and asked if we could go there before we started, so we're gonna spend some time at home first before we start. Mom already knows that he's coming so she already is trying to find a way for him to stay at the house. I told her we can share a room but she's a bit worried about it."

"Well yeah, you're talking about rooming with a guy."

"We've slept in the same tent before, as well as in the Pokemon center many times. It's not that big a deal, y'know."

"Still. She worries about you. You are a girl, he is a guy. You know how it is."

"Yes... But even dad doesn't worry about it, and dad worries more then almost anyone I know."

"Wait, dad doens't mind at all?" Dawn was even more surprised at this. "Dad is so protective of you though, especially since we adopted you... I'm sorta shocked."

"Dad trusts Brendan, and so do I~! Brendan is a very good person. He even knows about my condition, and works hard to help me with it whenever it acts up. In Johto, there was a problem with Team Rocket and it particularly came up by the Lake of Rage. I could barely stand after a while from a Pokemon's anger, so he tried to help me calm it down while helping me stand!" She giggled. "Sometimes he worries more then Dad does, though he'll never admit it. But he also has this strangely refreshing attitude... And hey, he managed to get Silver's brain working again. I think that's pretty awesome."

"He sounds amazing. I can't wait to meet him!"

"You won't have to. Look up there." Hiruka pointed at a Noctowl flying up in the sky and a human hand waving down to them. "Hey, Brendan!"

"Hiri! Sorry to keep ya waiting!" He got closer to the ground, jumping off of Noctowl's back before landing sternly on the grass beneath them, letting Noctowl into its Pokeball.


	2. Chapter 2

**Bashful Brilliance**

_**(Brendan x OC, Dawn x Ash)**_

"I didn't make you wait too long, did I?" The boy smiled happily, his hat still laying firmly on his head. He seemed to be smiling the same as always, but for anyone who hadn't met him in the past, it was clear his cheer was a bit higher then a normal level- at least, a normal level for anyone else if it was supposed to be their natural level.

"Nah, I just got here myself really."

"Yeah? Then why did you look like you've been being bombarded with Pokemon from your ability for an hour?" Ash rolled his eyes, referring to the many knots in her hair and small tatters in her clothes.

"Eheh..." The girl laughed nervously, causing Brendan to frown. "Okay so I was here early, big deal. I was excited okay?"

"What happened though?"

"Well, as Ash said, I was indeed bombarded by Pokemon. That's why I stole his hat until I can find mine- mine got stolen earlier today..."

"Right... Your hair secretes a special aroma that attracts Pokemon to you naturally so your ability can work."

"It's not like I asked for it to happen though..." A drop of sweat rolled down her head, her laugh becoming even more on the cautious side. "Really, though, I was so excited, I just couldn't help but come early." She calmed down, smiling more regularly. She felt a tap on her shoulder which caused her to look at Dawn. "What's wrong?"

"Aren't you gonna introduce us to your friend, silly?"

"Oh! Right!" Hiruka laughed nervously, looking to Brendan with a smile, then at the others. "Guys, this is my friend Brendan. Brendan, this is my sister Dawn, our friend Ash and... Uh..."

"Wow, you really don't recognize me? You battled me half a year ago..." Brock laughed. "Well, he did."

"Oh! Right! Sorry!" She laughed nervously in return. "My mind's fuzzy lately I guess. You already know each other though so introductions there aren't necessary right?"

"Good point." Brendan nodded in agreement. "So, should we get going to your mom's house?"

"Sure! Mom'll be happy, I bet, too!" She looked to her sister. "You're going to mom's house too for the festival, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, let's all go together! C'mon, it'll be fun!"

Dawn's laughter was clear. "Alright, sure. Let's go!" Dawn looked at her sister with a smirk. She began to sprint ahead, spinning to look to Hiruka. "Race ya!"

"Oh no you don't! You won't get away that fast, Sis!" Hiruka began to run after the girl, and the three boys followed suit, laughing.

"Ash, you know Hiri, right?" Brendan looked at the other trainer curiously. "I'm curious how."

"That's a long story, but let's just say what happened earlier with the pokemon is exactly what happened at that point too." Ash laughed. "As in, her hat got stolen and she was getting attacked left and right."

"Oh boy..." Brendan let out a sigh. "She's had no luck with that for how long now?"

"Well we were about six or seven, so at least eight years." Ash nodded. "But she doesn't seem to mind it anymore. When we were small back then, she was so upset about her ability that she literally hid from anyone. She was afraid of people... She seems so easygoing and the like now."

"She still worries a lot... But even she's said she's not as afraid as she was."

"It's been clear since I met you two that it was you that sorta helped spiral that a bit faster though." Brock looked to Brendan with a chuckle. "If I recall, you two were pretty attached to each other." The boy soon felt a rush of blood go to his cheeks. Simultaneously, a young girl was behind them and recognized the three.

"Ash! Brock! And...Brendan?" The girl ran behind them, tapping Ash's shoulder.

"M-May!"

"Sis! What're you doing here?" Brendan looked to May with a surprised look.

"I could ask you the same thing, Brendan." May rolled her eyes.

"Did you just say sister, Brendan?" Ash looked at the other boy.

"Yeah... Why?"

"Then you're Norman's kid?"

"Yeah. Is it that strange?" Brendan laughed, feeling something tugging on his hand. Or rather, someone.

"You okay? You guys were really slowing down so we got worried." Hiruka was there with Brendan's hand, Dawn nearby. Dawn waved hello to May and vice versa.

"Sorry, Hiri! Got side-tracked." Brendan laughed, clearly more because it was in fact funny to him than from any sort of concern. Meanwhile, Hiruka looked to May curiously, wondering who she was.

"So this is the girl you keep talking about huh, lover boy?" May laughed as she teased her brother, smiling to Hiruka. "My name's May- I'm Brendan's younger sister. It's nice to meet you."

"S-Shut it May!" Brendan was grumbling over the first thing she'd said, however Hiruka seemed to have paid no attention to it.

"My name's Hiruka. It's nice to meet you, May." There was a simple look on her face. However, Dawn seemed to have a strange sparkle in her eye.

"Hey! Brendan, I wanted to talk to you about something! Let's go on ahead. Besides, mom's gonna be mad if we're late." May had a similar sparkle in her eye. As Dawn finished her statement, May giggled, looking at Hiruka.

"Can we take a walk together, Hiruka? Since Dawn's stealing Brendan for a bit anyway, I figure I should get some time to know you too!"

"Um...Sure, I guess." Hiruka looked to Brendan and the others. "See you later?"

"Yeah. See ya, Hiri." Brendan waved, however was soon dragged off by Dawn. Similarly, May began to tug on Hiruka's hand and led her the opposite way. Ash and Brock looked at each other blankly.

"Something's going on..."

"Yeah, but what?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Bashful Brilliance**

_**(Brendan x OC, Dawn x Ash)**_

(A/N: Because this chapter involves two separate settings for a bit, I'll have to express the change between them somehow. So, I'll be using the good ol {{Setting}} for now. Kay? Kay. Sorry ^^;)

**{{Dawn/Brendan}}**

Dawn looked at Brendan curiously. She could see easily just from the moments she'd had to watch him with her sister that the two were particularly close. May's statement earlier on when they saw her only confirmed it. However, many questions rolled through her mind as they walked down the path heading to Twinleaf Town. Just how strong was the bond? She knew her sister was quite oblivious, but she had to ask about it because of that fact. "So, Brendan... About Hiruka."  
"What about her?" Brendan gave a quizzical look, watching the piplup near them scurrying to keep up with its trainer.  
"You two really get along, don't you?" Dawn gave a small smile of sorts, but her voice implied something slightly more than the words did. Brendan didn't seem to catch it. "But...What about what May said?"  
"Oh...That..." Brendan stared at the ground as they walked suddenly, trying to hide the redness in his face. "It's a...long story to say the least."  
"I was more asking if she was on target or just teasing you." Dawn laughed a bit, as did Brendan, though Brendan's was fairly nervous in comparison.  
"S-Sorta a mix of both. I mean... May knew before I told her that I liked Hiruka, so..." He trailed off. Dawn smiled a bit.  
"I'm glad." Those simple two words were enough to finally get Brendan to snap out of his strange anxiety and look at her, though showing signs of surprise. "Sis couldn't get comfortable with people that easily for a long time. She was always afraid since she was chased as a kid. But... Well, you two seem to get along well, and a lot faster then most people would I think. Because last I checked, she hadn't mentioned you until you started traveling together about a year ago almost."  
"I know she had a hard time opening up- others told me about it too. Silver and Li, mostly, but... Richie and Gold mentioned it too, and even her dad and Hunter mentioned it a lot. Heck, even she mentioned it after a while. I don't know how but... She managed to be able to calm down around me- and honestly, I found it easier to relax around her than I did beforehand." He smiled to Dawn simply, who then smiled back.  
"Does she know though?"  
"Sorta...But... I don't really know how to explain it..." He sighed, getting lost in thought for a bit of time.

**{{May/Hiruka}}**

Hiruka looked around aimlessly as she walked along the stranger that had been claimed to be Brendan's sister. She was silent for some time, trying to think of what to say. As she thought about it, his father hadn't really mentioned having any children, which had made her upset a long while back. She hadn't really known about May either- but on top of it, even Brendan hadn't mentioned having siblings. Had it just not come up? Or was she actually not as close to him as she'd hoped she was? A sigh escaped her as she thought on it, catching May's attention.  
"Thinking about my brother?" The words startled Hiruka as she looked back at the girl curiously. "You two really are quite a pair, aren't you?"  
"Um... I don't really understand what you mean," Hiruka replied softly. She looked at her feet for a moment, but only a quick moment, before looking back at May with a curious face.  
"He talks a lot about you, Brendan. You're really important to him from what I can tell." She gave a light smile, but even May couldn't likely notice the butterflies her words made run through Hiruka's stomach. "What about you though?"  
"What about me?" She looked confused by the question, causing May to laugh.  
"Is he as important to you?" She looked up at the sky, seemingly thinking about something. "Our cousin lives at the Azalea gym now... He mentioned you too. Apparently you're the gym leader's daughter there, right? Our cousin moved there because our families both agreed on it when you were able to talk to them. He seemed really happy. Wally mentioned that when he was traveling with you guys in Hoenn, you got really annoyed with our dad at one point, but afterwards you couldn't seem to get out of your head for a while because you startled yourself with what you'd said to him. Wally says you ended up having to ask him about it didn't you?"  
"I did, yes..." Hiruka stared at her feet, this time longer and throughout her next explanation. "Norman never mentioned to me, ever, that he had kids. I knew him for a long time as a family friend... He used to live in Ecruteak working at the gym, which was a place I used to go a lot to visit with my father or do errands. But he never even mentioned he was a father. He always talked about mine, but... He didn't seem to recognize he was a father at all, so I assumed he wasn't. When I first met Brendan, he didn't really tell me much about it- Morty actually explained a lot of it to me." Hiruka looked at May again.  
"I got mad when we ended up visiting Norman on our trip in Hoenn the first time. He got more excited to see his nephew then his own son- in fact, he seemed to pay no attention to Brendan when we got there. I gave him hell that night before we left... But... I think I ended up giving myself hell in the process too."  
"What'd you say that scared you so much?"  
Hiruka took a deep breath and slightly mimicked herself from back then, though not yelling the way she had been. "He really is a good person. If I weren't being careful, I'd have fallen for him already." Shaking it off, she looked at May. "The fact that I'd ever said such a thing scared me like nothing had in years. I've always had a hard time getting extremely close to people. Everyone else always pointed out I was clinging to him, but I never really noticed it, let alone why. After a long time, I finally managed to talk to Wally about it and he helped me understand why it had ever come up in that conversation."  
"Why was that?" May gave a sly smirk, giggling lightly to herself.  
"I was trying to tell myself that I had. I wasn't even really talking to Norman at all at that point."

**{{Dawn/Brendan}}**

"Hiruka came up to me one day after having a chat with my cousin Wally. Mind you, we were on a boat. She seemed really scared, but... At that point I'd assumed it was just because of the boat part since I knew she was deathly afraid of water... Then again, so am I, and I wasn't nearly as nervous as she was- I'm usually not though. She gets nervous easily compared to me." He looked at Dawn with a serious face, one that if anyone that knew him well saw they'd be in utter shock (except perhaps Hiruka who had actually seen his serious side at times). "She told me about an argument she had the night before with my dad. She said she wasn't doing well for a while, which I'd known, but she actually told me why finally. Apparently, she said something to my dad that really made her think... That's what she had talked to Wally about. When I asked her what it was... She told me she liked me."  
"Even I can tell she likes you. But that doesn't tell me your side of the story, Brendan."  
"Hold on okay? I'm getting there." He took a brief, thick breath of air into his lungs before continuing. "I responded in kind and hugged her like there was no tomorrow- I honestly wasn't sure if I could believe it or not. Part of me assumed I was dreaming, actually. But... Even if I told her that, she still took a while to adjust- then again, so did I. Nothing really changed though. But... I asked her to not make dinner one day and she was really startled." He laughed a bit. "Apparently she was even more out of it with the idea of dating or anything like it then I was. I guess it didn't help that I didn't tell her I wanted it to be a date, of course... But... I wanted to take her out to eat. When I did and told her I was paying, she got really mad. I finally confessed my reason and expected to be slapped or something of the sort- in the end, she just laughed at me, wondering why I hadn't just said so in the first place. To be honest, I laughed too- I did feel sorta dumb."  
"Yeah, Hiruka never was good at telling what goes on in people's heads. Pokemon, yes. People, not so much." She looked at Brendan with a smile. "You made it sound far more complicated then the story was though."  
"Oh, that wasn't what I was saying was complicated." Brendan explained. "It's just how strong my feelings for her really are. I took a while for a reason... And I wanted to talk to her family before I talked to her about it. But I'd like to wait to get to that until we get to your house, okay?"  
"Sure, I guess. Somehow I have a hunch this has something to do with the extent of it..." She laughed and watched as Brendan, red as could be from even mentioning most of what he had, ran off ahead of her towards Lake Verity.  
"Brendan, wait!"  
"No, you hurry up!" He laughed at her teasingly, but saw a strange drop of sweat on her head.  
"Brendan, you're going the wrong way! Twinleaf town is to the left!"  
"...Oh." Laughing nervously now, he ran back to join her as they managed to get to Twinleaf Town.

**{{May/Hiruka}}**

"Well, I guess that makes sense." May explained in response to Hiruka's explanation. "But... Why do you get nervous so often lately then? If you know he likes you back, then..."  
"He mentioned a while back that he's been thinking a lot about the future and what he wants to do," Hiruka interrupted. "But... I was too nervous to tell him I have too. But... While his was more based on whether he'd travel or not... Mine was more based on the relationship aspect thing..." She laughed nervously.  
"Oh... That's the thing." May smiled simply, patting Hiruka's back. "Well, you'll never know how he's gonna respond if you don't tell him, Hiruka!"  
"I guess so, but... I-I'm not sure I'm ready." Letting out a deep sigh, she ended up starting to finally lead the way to Twinleaf Town to reach her home.


End file.
